Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Ikeja

For one person, living is cheaper in Ikeja: $2,409 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. The total is higher in Dubai despite lower rent and utilities.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Ikeja
Learn more

Ikeja Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Ikeja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$2,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Ikeja

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dubai and in Ikeja actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $2,409 in Ikeja.

Dubai $2,889
Ikeja $2,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $4,149 in Ikeja.

Dubai $4,444
Ikeja $4,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $5,890 in Ikeja.

Dubai $5,999
Ikeja $5,890

Living in Dubai is roughly 20% more expensive than in Ikeja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 114% above, Ikeja 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$0.54 ₦721

2296.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$11.14 ₦15.0K

647.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$7.50 ₦10.1K

24.67%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.60

$2.86 ₦3,840

105.59%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.14 ₦192

1021.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.07 ₦96.6

1242.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.38

$0.31 ₦422

4235.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$2.05 ₦2,755

561.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.76 ₦1,025

144.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.72 ₦962

116.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$1.21 ₦1,628

118.18%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$2.23 ₦3,001

58.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$3.58 ₦4,815

262.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$3.96 ₦5,323

151.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$4.34 ₦5,832

197.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$1.62 ₦2,173

57.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$1.27 ₦1,713

61.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$1.14 ₦1,533

61.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$1.48 ₦1,989

4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$1.54 ₦2,070

-24.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$1.57 ₦2,106

-35.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.85 ₦1,140

84.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.39 ₦530

71.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$0.54 ₦728

1068.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$2.36 ₦3,174

584.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$0.53 ₦718

386.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$0.46 ₦621

528.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.12 ₦155

1066.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$3.45 ₦4,642

2289.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.65 ₦880

406.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.90 ₦1,209

-27.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$2.19 ₦2,946

271.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$0.14 ₦187

614.29%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$11.0K ₦14.8M

139.60%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$28.6K ₦38.5M

-22.96%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$239 AED 877

$111 ₦148.8K

115.89%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$56.9 AED 209

$14.89 ₦20.0K

282.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$32.93 ₦44.3K

185.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$6.07 ₦8,160

167.55%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$934 AED 3,429

$659 ₦886.4K

41.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$19.4K ₦26.1M

7.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$14.80 ₦19.9K

377.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$17.73 ₦23.8K

245.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$35.66 ₦48.0K

188.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$49.16 ₦66.1K

136.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$3,536 ₦4.8M

-29.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$1,985 ₦2.7M

-23.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$6,548 ₦8.8M

-20.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$5,077 ₦6.8M

-40.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$74.2 ₦99.7K

4692.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

18.39

-75.15%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ikeja: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Ikeja

$2K 82.4% 30.6% $465

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Ikeja

$158 6.6% 59.3% $231

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Ikeja

$68 2.8% 78% $239

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Ikeja

$124 5.1% 58.3% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Ikeja

$53 2.2% 66.6% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Ikeja

$12 * 0.5% 90.2% $111

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Ikeja

$9.1 0.4% 90.4% $86

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,487 in Dubai and $3,536 in Ikeja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 48 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $11 in Ikeja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $124 per month, with Ikeja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇬 Ikeja

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

861,300

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,511 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.62 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Ikeja 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Ikeja

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Dubai vs Ikeja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ikeja is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dubai is about 48 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,487 in Dubai versus $3,536 in Ikeja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ikeja runs roughly 96% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $934 in Dubai versus $659 in Ikeja. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Ikeja is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Ikeja are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ikeja wins on affordability, Dubai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.